


Hindsight

by MickieJae



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Fights, Fluff, Harsh words are said, Making Up, Marco doesn't know what to do, Modern AU, Multi, Patching up after a fight, and taken back, but it's mentioned some, fluffy fluf, not graphic violence, poor child
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-05-08 08:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5490338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MickieJae/pseuds/MickieJae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"They've never fought about something like this before. But Marco leaves them to fight on their own. There's no point in stepping in. They have to work through it by themselves in order to feel better about it, he knows this."</p><p>Or: Jean says something he doesn't mean and Eren runs away while Marco just hopes for the best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hindsight

**Author's Note:**

> There's talk of injuries and blood shed in here, so beware if that grosses you out.  
> If it does, skip the paragraph that starts with ""Where was he?""  
> Rated teen mostly for some questionable language.
> 
> Also, this was inspired by this post on Tumblr:
> 
> http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/135651122523/after-a-fight-person-a-tells-person-b-they-never

Eren and Jean argue a lot. It's like a sport to them at this point. Sometimes they're angry for days at each other, until Marco has to step in and fix it for them. Marco doesn't mind so much, he likes when they make up-- not so much that it's worth their fighting, but there's no way he'll ever stop them from _that_.  Fighting is sometimes they way they show they're love for each other, like when Jean gets angry that Eren always forgets to do the laundry or when Eren locks Jean from his tiny writing room to make sure he eats something or _bathes_. They protect each other. They love each other.

So when Marco opens the door to their warm apartment after hearing them screaming at each other from down the stairs, he's a little surprised to hear Eren telling Jean to "just stop pretending that he's actually in love with them already!"

"Pretend?!" Marco can't even hear the door shut over the sound of Jean's voice. "Don't act like you know what I'm thinking! Don't act like you've ever even cared about what I'm thinking!" They've never fought about something like this before. But Marco leaves them to fight on their own. There's no point in stepping in. They have to work through it by themselves in order to feel better about it, he knows this.

"I don't have to read your mind, Jean. You never do anything for Marco and I besides nag and boss us around!"

"Well at least I get shit done! All you do is laze around! Marco and I have jobs and still manage to clean up. What the fuck do you do, huh?!" Marco rubbed his temples. They were really digging deep this time. Why they'd have to bring him into it?

"I-I--"

"Exactly! We don't need you here, Eren! You were just an add on, anyways! You _had_ to butt your way into our relationship! We were fine without you and we would still be fine without you!" Marco stood. He couldn't just let Jean say that to Eren, not when Eren had grown so dependent on the two of them. Marco loved Eren, just as much as he loved Jean. It didn't matter that Eren had come later. He needed to tell him that and make Jean shut up. "Just leave! Fucking leave and don't come back!"

Eren's voice was much weaker, shakier, "Th-this is my house too--"

"No, this is my house and Marco's house. We pay for it and we've lived in it longer! Fuck  _off!_ " Marco ran into the living room in time to hear the door slam behind Eren. His jacket still hung on the rack. Jean was standing on the other side of the couch, hands clenching and unclenching, his cheeks red. His eyes fell on Marco, tense shoulders starting to slump.

"What did you do?" Marco asked.

"I didn't think he'd actually leave." Jean's hands hung limp.  "I thought he'd fight on me on it. I wouldn't have said it if I thought he'd actually do it--"

"You shouldn't have said it at all, Jean, you know how impulsive he is!" Jean rubbed his face hard.

"M-maybe he'll come back soon." Marco crossed his arms. 

"Maybe."

He didn't. 

After two hours, Jean was freaking out. He was going to ran a hole in the floor with all his pacing and he'd likely be bald in another hour with as much as he was running his fingers through his hair. He was worried. Marco could see that and he was too, but he shamefully felt that Jean deserved it. He had to know that his actions had consequences. 

"Where are you going?" Jean was headed for the door.

"I have to go find him," Jean muttered, slipping into his shoes.

"Take your jacket," Jean grabbed it like a second thought and ran out the door, leaving Marco to simmer in his worry. 

Marco cooked when we was worried or nervous or any emotion that left him unable to keep still. He rationalized it by saying that after all that yelling and running around in the middle of January, they'd both be ravenous. Even if they didn't eat it all, they'd have left overs. So he cooked and waited and stared at the clock and waited for them to come back. Every text he sent both went unanswered, calls left to voicemail. Maybe he shouldn't have let Jean go alone. He probably should've stopped the fight before it got out of hand.

"Well... hindsight and such..." _And now I'm talking to myself_.  Marco ran his fingers through his hair and stared at the clock. It'd been too long since they left. They should be back by now, or at least answering his call! 

The door slamming open made Marco jumped. He ran to the living room as Jean was kicking it back closed, supporting a bruised and bleeding Eren, "Found him." Jean, stumbling and shivering, carried Eren on his back to the kitchen, dropping him into a chair. 

"Where was he?" Marco asked, staring. Eren's face was starting to swell, his nose bleeding and his lip split. Soaked with more than just rain, blood was running down his face and stained his torn shirt. He looked horrible and paler than usual. His hair was matted, dirt covered, skin scratched up. Marco hadn't seen Eren look like that in so long. He had hopped he never would again.

"Down by Mulligan's." Jean dug through the cupboards until he found their first aid kit. "H-he was fighting again, but y-you know how they work down there, Marco, you can't just get back in." Marco rubbed his cheeks. The thought of Eren being beat up by god knows how many people Mulligan made people made do it was sickening. He couldn't stand thinking about Eren letting them do it.

"How long has he been out?"

"I don't know, he was like this when I found him." 

"Why didn't you take him to the hospital?"

"And tell them that he was trying to get back into an illegal boxing ring?!"

"Say that he got mugged or something-- never mind," Marco groaned. Taking Eren to the hospital would probably make him angry anyways. He just leaned against the counter and watched Jean clean off Eren's skin. Jean's wet hair clung to his pale skin. He worried his lip, dug his fingernails into his pale to keep his hands from shaking. 

"Hhngg..." Jean started as Eren's eyes fluttered open. Well, as open as they could, with one swelling shut and the other currently half covered by the wet rag Jean had been cleaning him off with. "Wha-- Jean?" Very rarely did Marco ever see Jean cry. When Jean was sad, he was usually angry too. If he'd cried in the past two years, he'd hidden it well from him.  Now, Jean's eyes were drowning and over flowing, tears running down his face. He threw his arms around Eren, digging his face into the side of his neck with his shoulders shaking.

"Why did you leave?" His muffled voiced demanded. "Why didn't you argue with me?! Why did you try to fight me?!" Eren-- beat up, tired looking Eren-- sighed softly and lifted his aching arm to rest across Jean's back. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, really! Marco and I need you here, okay? I-it doesn't matter who came first or do does the most work or whatever, you're not allowed to ever leave again, okay?!" 

"Yeah..." Eren breathed, closing his eyes.

"And don't you ever set foot within one-hundred feet of Mulligan's, ever again," Marco added from the counter. Eren opened his eyes and smiled.

"Sorry?"

"Don't apologize to me," Eren let his eyes shut, turning his head to nuzzle into Jean's hair. Marco didn't hear him speak, but smiled when he saw the way Jean's shoulders relaxed. 

Jean patched up Eren slowly, kissing the bandages smooth across Eren's skin. Eren, for once, consented to be fussed over, letting Jean wrap up his knuckles and untangle the knots in his hair. Eren looked almost better by the time he was done, save the pastel bruises on his dark skin-- the ones that looked like splashes of paint on a very sleepy looking canvas.

Marco made them both eat and eat they did. Even in pain, Eren managed to wolf down three plates of pasta and one bowl of soup. Jean, still shaky and worried, only ate two plates and half a bowl, too busy staring at Eren to make sure he was okay and not in any pain.

"Maybe you should go to bed," Marco recommended softly. Jean looked up from his umpteenth study of Eren and nodded slowly.

"Are you coming?"

"No, I have a little bit of reading to do," Well, not anymore, actually. But he figured that Eren and Jean needed a little alone time together, even if it was just a mere few minutes before they fell asleep. He took their plates and bowls and took care of them himself, letting Jean help Eren stand up and walk him back to their room. Jean helped Eren change, take his usual medicine and tuck them both into their bed much too big for two people, but just right for three. He held on tight to Eren's small frame.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered.

"I know. I am too."

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too."

**Author's Note:**

> For someone who hardcore ships Jeanmarco, I sure as hell write a lot of Erejean like my life depends on it.
> 
> I'm on Tumblr at http://accidentalcosmonaut.tumblr.com/
> 
> Comments are appreciated! Thanks for reading!


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